Middle East and Gulf countries end Ramadan with increased contagion

The Arab countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf are today putting an end to the holy month of Ramadan, during which coronavirus infections have multiplied, leading the authorities to impose strict measures for the Aid al-Fitr holidays starting tomorrow.

If some restrictions were lifted before the start of the fasting month in some countries in the region, such as Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, governments have backed down and decreed wider curfews or the closure of shops and a ban on travel between provinces. In Egypt, the curfew that was reduced during Ramadan to 21:00 local time will start from tomorrow, Sunday, and until next Friday at 17:00 local time, thus prohibiting departures during the busiest hours of the day.

During this special month for Muslims, the country of the pyramids has experienced an increase of 266% of coronavirus infections, which have shot up in the past week, while deaths by COVID-19 have gone from 294 to 696, according to a comparison of Efe.

Saudi Arabia also decided to re-impose a 24-hour curfew starting this Saturday until next Wednesday, days when Muslims usually gather with family and celebrate with great banquets the end of the sacrificial month of fasting. The kingdom is the country in the area with the most cases of COVID-19 and infections have increased by 350% in the past 30 days. They reached 67,719 on May 22, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In both Egypt and the Saudi kingdom, travel between the provinces is prohibited and the authorities in Cairo suspended public transport for five days to prevent Egyptians from making trips and excursions or returning to their hometowns.

In the Persian Gulf, most countries have seen a significant increase in infections but not deaths from COVID-19, as testing for the disease has also increased. In Kuwait, those infected are now seven times more than on the first day of Ramadan; in Qatar, almost five times more; and in the United Arab Emirates, they have increased threefold, although in the three small countries the number of deaths is low, with only 19 in Qatar.

In some countries, the authorities have admitted that the increase in cases is due to the crowds in shops where typical Ramadan products are purchased, as well as the meetings to take the 'iftar', which is the food with which the daytime fast is broken at sunset and which is usually taken with relatives or friends. The mosques have been closed throughout the month throughout the region and will not reopen for the traditional collective prayer of Aid al-Fitr, which takes place at dawn on the first day after the end of Ramadan.